Florence Harting WRIT 340

In 2021, history was made in the United States. For the first time in 100 years, the life expectancy of children born that year declined. That’s right. For 100 years, the life expectancy of U.S. residents has been increasing until last year. And why is this? Americans are becoming more susceptible to health related diseases including heart and liver failure.     As a society, we have the most amount of technology, resources, and brain power out of any generation in history—yet life expectancy has fallen. A main reason for this is the modern American lifestyle which includes lack of exercise and nutrition. And the most worrying part of this is that higher obesity rates are correlated to lower income communities.    No child should have to be put at a higher risk of type II diabetes or early-onset heart disease because of their family’s financial circumstances. Therefore, FIFA aims to increase access to nutrition for low-income communities. Especially in Los Angeles, i...

Back in 2017, I started doing a lot of research into nutrition and stumbled across a selection of documentaries on veganism and its effects in improving personal health and the environment. I was so moved by these films that I actually ended up going vegan for 2 years and only stopped because I thought it would be too difficult to maintain during college. While I think that veganism is definitely drastic and not always the healthiest option for some people, I believe that nutrition is one of the most pressing matters in the world and one that I think needs to be tackled in order to make the world a better place for everyone. When delving into the topic of nutrition and how to improve the health of people worldwide, I often split my thoughts into two categories. On one side, I consider the poverty and lack of food resources in some places, where people simply do not have access to the nutrients and calories they need to survive. This issue of food insecurity is pressing and unfortunatel...

I am currently waiting for my Postmates sushi order to arrive and it's all I can think about. Therefore, I will be writing my blog post on sushi and my favourite spots in LA.  Since I was little, my parents would always take me to a little sushi spot near my house where they had a conveyor belt of sushi that would go around the restaurant with platters that you could help yourself to. I thought this was the coolest thing and it developed my love for Japanese food at a young age. Ever since I would always pick Japanese restaurants for special occasions and would have fun in different cities exploring their sushi options. I think the main reason why I love it so much is how you can get such a complex variety of flavours and textures in such a minimal way. Now that I have lived in LA for a few years, I have found some of my favourite spots which I will share with you. My new go-to is Iki Ramen in Koreatown because they have amazing quality fish for a reasonable price. They also have ...

 I have greatly enjoyed reading When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing  as it was very satisfying to learn the science behind time and how to make the most of it. I particularly liked Part 2 of the book which went into the 'Beginnings, Endings, and In Between' as it broke down everything from how to end your day at work to when it is a good time to get a divorce. While a lot of this section of the book applied to events in life much later down the line for me, like when to leave a job or how to get over a mid-life slump, I find learning about these things very interesting so I can almost plan in advance. For example, setting goals earlier in life to make turning thirty a bit more manageable or starting a job I actually want to do.  Daniel Pink provides fascinating research to back up all of his advice and I highly recommend this book for anyone at any stage of life that is curious about time. It is our only limited resource after all!

TO: Clark Hansen, CEO, AMDP FROM: Florence Harting, R&D Analyst, AMDP DATE: October 17, 2022 SUBJECT: Investment Proposal _____________________________________________________________________________ At AMDP, we are committed to social responsibility, environmental sustainability, and profitability. In this week’s search for a potential investment, I am pleased to present FreeWater—a company that perfectly aligns with these company goals and presents an excellent opportunity to fund a social entrepreneur addressing one of society’s most  prevalent needs.  I highly recommend FreeWater and will support my statement in this memo by: ·         Reviewing AMDP’s Investment Standards ·         Explaining how the company started, how the business model works, and why it is successful ·         Providing an overview of its business growth ·       ...

For my second book, I chose When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel H. Pink. I am a huge fan of scheduling and organisation; being efficient makes me very happy. Therefore, I have always wondered about timing and how this affects certain things in our day. For instance, everyone chooses socially acceptable times to do things—even if a more random time would be more appropriate. An example of this is my roommates will leave to walk to school at 9:15, even though leaving at 9:18 would be the most efficient. Or choosing to get lunch at 12:30 instead of 12:42 could mean that the line is significantly longer, because everyone chose this socially acceptable time. This is why I chose the book When, to learn more about the secrets of perfect timing and see if Pink has any theories that align with my ideas.  So far, I am very pleased with the book. I love a Malcom Gladwell-esque book that states a point, backs it up with an interesting story or research, and then applies i...

Family Weekend Without Family I love my family, don't get me wrong! But it can be a lot to host your family in a different city, let alone at your college. This year my parents aren't coming for family weekend so I am going to write my blog post about what it is like to do the weekend riding solo.  One good aspect is that you get to spend a lot of time with other people's family and actually get to know them. Instead of having to take care of your own parents and introduce them to everyone you encounter, you get to meet your friends' families without worrying about your own. I think this is why I have become so close with a lot of my friend's parents—either because of this or they take pity on me for always being the only one without my family visiting.  Another reason why I don't mind my family not coming is to be able to have a more relaxing weekend. I am sure all of you who have parents coming are organising dinners, scheduling times for them to come see your...

I have really enjoyed reading 'American Like Me' and connecting with the different stories. It is a very well-rounded display of how many cultures and experiences are living in this one country. I forget sometimes how big and varied America really is and reading the book definitely reminded me of this.  I particularly liked the perspective that Joy Cho shared in her excerpt. Firstly, I found her story moving, about how her whole childhood she was 'parenting' her parents to be American by switching out her school lunch or giving American halloween candy. But then she realises that her culture is what makes her different and something she comes to enjoy celebrating with time. Growing up between two countries, I have definitely felt a similar way. In England I was considered the American one who always had the American snacks and did not celebrate traditional English things like a roast lunch every Sunday. However, in America people consider me very English and I do not as...

Mastering the Art of Waking Up   How to Make Getting Out of Bed a Pain-Free Practice   Not everyone is lucky enough to be an early bird. In fact, waking up may be the worst part of your day. However, like many things in life, waking up is a science — a science anyone can master with the right tools. Applying these practices into your daily routine will help make waking up early easier, and maybe even enjoyable.    This article will provide you with these tools. From having a smaller dinner, to adjusting your light settings, to finding personal motivations — here are the steps to ease your morning routine.      Step 1: Dine Like a Pauper   A wise person once said, you should “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dine like a pauper”. While this commonly known proverb relates to a range of health benefits, it is especially true for good sleep.    A smaller dinner leads to better quality sleep because it reduces blood pressure...

 I chose to read and analyse America Ferrera's book because she is someone I have always admired but do not actually know a lot about. Especially since I did not grow up in the U.S., I am curious to learn more about her experience growing up in this country and can relate to being split between two cultures. I also look forward to reading a range of people's submissions in addition to America Ferrera's perspective, because I think it will provide me a very broad insight. From reading Ferrera's forward, it made me emotional that at such a young age she already questioned her 'Americanness' and her identity. I think this speaks to American society where even though it is such a melting pot of backgrounds, cultures, and languages, people are still so discriminated against and unfortunately, realise it at such a young age. I also found it very interesting to read the stories of Reshma Saujani, Al Madrigal, Jenny Zhang, Bambadjan Bamba, Padma Laksmi, and Randall Park...

Marketing Intern at CULTURED Magazine    This semester, I am interning at  CULTURED Magazine , a publication that focuses on art, architecture, and design. You probably haven’t heard of it – neither had I until applying recently – but I’ll try to do my best at describing what it is like to work there.   My official title is ‘Marketing Intern’, so my focus is to manage the image of the brand and content to support this. But on a daily, I do a random array of tasks that the team sends my way. These tasks fall into three main areas:  ·         Updating the website ·         Creating social media content ·         Managing the merchandise   The Website One of my main responsibilities is managing the company website. I’m sure you have heard about “the death of print”, which I have seen is very true from working in the magazine industry. While CULTURED still p...